Internship/Co-op Program

Internship & Co-op Opportunities

The College of Business Administration provides opportunities for junior and senior students, who have at least 15 semester hours of course work in the College of Business, to acquire pregraduation experience by employment in commerce or industry through our internship/co-op programs. These experiences can be paid or nonpaid and students can receive up to six hours of course credit. Through the years, students have been placed in hundreds of organizations.

• There are two necessary elements for an undergraduate student to gain career direction and obtain relevant work experience. First, the student should see the faculty advisor as an important potential link to jobs and career assistance.
  The department chair and student advisor are both involved in the process.The department chair directs the student to the most appropriate faculty member based on the faculty members area of professional knowledge.The faculty advisor assigns and evaluates two written reports from the student regarding his/her experience.The faculty advisor contacts the sponsoring firm to check on student progress.The faculty advisor reviews the firm’s evaluation form and determines the student’s grade of satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
• The department chair oversees the entire process, including faculty compensation, and has leverage to ensure that processes are carried out correctly.

Also, an effective Office of Career Development (OCD) is required. The Office of Career Development guides and encourages Niagara University students and alumni in the development of skills necessary for lifelong career management in the evolving world of work. The OCD offers a comprehensive program of career exploration and counseling, cooperative education and internship experiences, graduate and professional school information, job recruitment opportunities, and training in the job search process. The College of Business Administration has a strong and ongoing partnership with the OCD to promote and encourage its students to participate in the career development programs, services, resources and events described below.

One of the most popular and well-known programs in the OCD is the Cooperative Education/Internship Program, which offers students the opportunity to integrate classroom knowledge with practical, on-the-job experience. While on co-op/internship assignments, students interact with fellow employees and managers. Students learn valuable interpersonal and communication skills. They learn how organizations are structured, how responsibility is assigned and how evaluations are done. The program allows students to participate in two co-op or internship experiences without extending college study beyond four years. This enables students taking part in the program to graduate with their classmates. Students interested in obtaining a co-op or internship must have at least a 2.0 GPA and must maintain this minimum while in the program. If the student’s grades fall below the set standard, his/her record is reviewed to determine future eligibility in the program. Additionally, continuance in the program requires acceptable job performance, which includes satisfactory work, punctuality, attendance, communication, interpersonal and computer skills. The co-op director, the student, and the faculty advisor review the evaluation of a student’s job performance, which is completed by the employer. Students may participate in the program during the fall or spring semester or summer. Completion of a minimum of 150 work hours is required, as well as two papers relating the academic experience to the internship experience gained at the work site. The student receives three academic credits for successful completion of each co-op or internship experience.